The mysterious island of Easter

South American island named after holiday is a wonder

The name of one South American island is on the minds of many Canadians this time of year - intentional or not.

Easter Island fascinates the human race the way Nessie or Stonehenge do. Located more than 3,500 km west of continental Chile, it is home to the moai statues - considered one of the world’s greatest mysteries - is a finalist in the new Seven Wonders of the World competition and is named after a holiday which usually conjures up images of chocolate eggs and bunnies.

The historyKnown by its nearly 4,000 inhabitants today as Rapa Nui (Great Rapa), the original inhabitants of Easter Island named it in the Rapanui language: Te pito o te henua (The naval of the world).

The island is believed to have been first settled around 400 AD by Polynesians with excellent canoeing skills as the island is rather remote. They are considered to have been a highly intelligent and relatively advanced society. Bananas, sweet potatoes and sugarcane were all grown on the island and chickens and rats filled out dietary requirements.

The first recorded European visit was paid in 1722 on Easter Sunday – hence the name. The island is treeless, thought to be deforested by the inhabitants while they created the infamous moai statues.

The downfall of the civilization was almost inevitable. The people were deported to Peru by slave traders, plagued by foreign Western diseases and wracked by civil war. This lead to the abandonment of many of the moai statues in fields, some fully completed and some only heads never to be finished.

The statues, which are about 14 feet tall and weigh nearly 13,000 kg, are carved in one piece from compressed volcanic ash. There are 887 recorded moai statues occupying Easter Island with 250 of them standing around the island’s perimeter. The Rapanui likely thought the statues would protect the island.

The moai may have been moved to their various locations by being rocked forward or pulled on sleds and rollers. However, the people of Easter Island believed the moai walked themselves to their locations through the chief’s “mana” – a cosmic power over the material world. An ancient Rapanui legend tells of the moai “walking.”

If you go to Easter Island, be sure to visit the Rano Raraku site. This is the volcanic crater where the moai were created and nearly 400 statues still stand or lie here.

Getting thereIn order to get to Easter Island, you’ll first need to fly to Santiago, Chile, a flight available from most major Canadian airports. Once there, you’ll need transfer onto a flight to Easter Island. LanChile flies from Santiago to Easter Island four times a week. The flight takes about five hours.

There are many small hotels on the island, from the popular O’tai Hotel ($96 US) to the quaint Hanana’s Residential ($82 US). Booking in advance is necessary as most hotels don’t have more than 100 rooms.